At a press briefing, Karoline Leavitt was asked about free speech concerns in the U.K.
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00:00...to continue construction of that border wall as well.
00:03Sure, go ahead.
00:05Madam Levitt, congratulations on this endeavor to bring in new media,
00:09and can I start by thanking you for including the British.
00:12And I'm deeply proud to be the only British representative here.
00:17I hope in future events you might include more.
00:20I've got two questions if I may be so bold regarding my little country across the pond.
00:26First and foremost, it's regarding trade deals.
00:30So your vice president, Vice President Barnes, has said no free speech, no deal.
00:36The British business secretary, whose name is Jonathan Reynolds,
00:42has said that in the trade talks with the U.S. Commerce Department,
00:47free speech has been not a material factor in negotiations.
00:53So my first question is, is it the case that free speech is no longer part of negotiations?
00:59And my second question, if I may, is in Britain we have had over a quarter of a million people
01:06issued non-crime hate incidents.
01:10As we speak, there are people in prison for quite literally reposting memes.
01:14We have extensive prison sentences for tweets, social media posts, and general free speech issues.
01:26Would the Trump administration consider political asylum for British citizens in such a situation?
01:33Well, to your latter question, it's a very good one.
01:36I have not heard that proposed to the president, nor have I spoken to him about that idea,
01:40but I certainly can and talk to our national security team and see if it's something the administration would entertain.
01:46Yes, please.
01:46To your first question about free speech in the United Kingdom,
01:50the vice president has been incredibly outspoken about this for good reason.
01:53And the president has spoken about this as well, directly with your prime minister when he was here for a visit to the White House.
01:59So it remains a critical endeavor of ours to show the Brits and your country, which we love and admire,
02:07about the First Amendment and the importance of free speech in a sovereign nation.
02:13As for the trade talks, I understand they are moving in a very positive way with the United Kingdom.
02:18I don't want to get ahead of the president or our trade team and how those negotiations are going,
02:23but I have heard they've been very positive and productive with the United Kingdom.
02:27And I will say the president always, both publicly and privately, speaks incredibly highly of your country.
02:33He has a good relationship with your prime minister, though they disagree on domestic policy issues.
02:39I've witnessed the camaraderie between them firsthand in the Oval Office,
02:43and there is a deep mutual respect between our two countries that certainly the president upholds.
02:49You're welcome.
02:50Mr. Spicer, it's good to see you.
02:52Hi.
02:52Good to see you.